You can tell whether a screenshot is Windows or Mac from a mile away, and that’s because both commercial operating systems only have one desktop environment. Windows has the Start Menu and the Taskbar, while macOS has its iconic Dock and Menu Bar.

But search for Linux and you’ll see images that look strikingly different from one another:

This diversity stems from the fact that Linux offers far more than one desktop environment. This is part of what makes Linux exciting to use, but the breadth of choice can make it difficult to pick the one that’s right for you. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best Linux desktop environments.

GNOME has a design that simultaneously suits both touch-based devices and traditional PCs. A single panel sits at the top of the screen much like on a mobile device. Rather than a dock or window list, users interact with windows by opening an Activities Overview that displays apps, open software, and virtual desktops. GNOME’s developers use the GIMP Toolkit (GTK+), which may come up when you’re deciding which apps to install.

The MATE developers have invested time and effort into updating the background code, but on the whole, this still feels like the desktop environment many people fell in love with a decade ago. The lack of change hasn’t curtailed adoption either. Newcomers often approach MATE as a more lightweight and traditional alternative to the likes of GNOME, a role also occupied by the next desktop on this list.

These days Xfce feels like a comparable alternative to MATE. Its developers continue to place an emphasis on keeping the interface light, even if that means foregoing the latest bells and whistles. With a relatively small development team, a lot of time often passes between updates. The result is that Xfce, like MATE, hasn’t changed all that much over the years.

With the elementary project’s innovative pay-what-you-want payment scheme, Pantheon has become a hotbed for new Linux apps. These apps, like the desktop itself, are a departure from the traditional Linux way of doing things. Pantheon is not very customizable or extensible. That is arguably its biggest strength and its greatest weakness.

Much of the inspiration for Budgie comes from Chrome OS and mobile apps. Unlike many of the other environments on this list, Budgie remains in a state of flux, with major design changes slipping in from one update to the next.

LXDE exists to be a fast, lightweight, energy efficient desktop environment. Based on GTK+, it’s an option to consider if even Xfce runs slowly on your machine, or alternatives simply feel too bloated for your tastes.

LXDE is modular, meaning it isn’t all or nothing. You can swap out the default window manager, which is OpenBox, for an alternative. Whether it’s the session manager, the network manager, or the sound server, it’s free to go in exchange for something else.

Enlightenment began over a decade ago as an interface for desktop computers. It hasn’t gained much adoption among Linux users, but it remains available and functional. The art style is more skeuomorphic than the cartoony images often seen in other free desktops.

Today Enlightenment has expanded to mobile devices, wearables, and televisions. Enlightenment is the window manager and compositor used in Tizen.

Sugar is a desktop environment designed for use in schools. It is decidedly simple, not in the minimalist sense, but in terms of complexity. Young children are the intended users.

Sugar comes from Sugar Labs, a non-profit run by volunteers. The project not only provides a desktop environment but simple apps to go with it. These tools are in place so that educators can acclimatize children to computers even in areas with few economic resources.

Have Fun With Your Linux Desktop Environment

While I’ve suggested different ways to try out each desktop, these are hardly the only methods. Most Linux-based operating systems allow you to swap out the default desktop for another. Many offer variants that provide a different interface out of the box.

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dragonmouth

October 21, 2018 at 1:35 pm

I agree with Heimen Stoffels. I prefer Trinity, even KDE 4.x to Plasma. Both Trinity and KDE 4.x are easier to configure. Plasma has eliminated some settings that were present in the other two, or moved them to some arcane locations.

"KDE Plasma is the arguably the most customizable interface available for any desktop operating system."

Arguably, yes. 'Cause it's not true. I love Plasma and I'm typing this from Plasma, but it's not the most customizable of *any* desktop OS. AmigaOS 4's Workbench is way more customizable than Plasma will ever be, followed by TDE (Trinity Desktop Environment) for Linux, then Enlightenment, then Plasma.

Good coverage of what's out there. I don't have lots of experience with Desktop Environments except a few. I started, in earnest, my Linux journey with Cinnamon. I found that it took all the best features of the Desktop and put them to work effectively. Lots of little touches that can only be appreciated when used everyday.

XFCE is a new one for me. My aging laptop needed a pick me up and I settled on MX-17.1 after lots of (live-environment) testing. I'm a few days in and my entire system has been snappy so far. Everything feels so responsive now. These guys (antiX and MX) have also done a remarkable job on documentation. It's integrated everywhere. The install was one of the best experiences I've ever had with lots of built-in help, advice and suggestions. It even gave me control over what daemons would start up.

Then there's Knoppix's implementation of LXDE. From the voice command letting you know that the system initiated to the flashy (but not overbearing) Desktop effects... this was/is a system that I would use to show-off Linux to anyone. Period! Nothing (out of the box and in my limited experience) I've come across comes close in terms of generating excitement and loaded with software for normal users. Nothing! Sadly... the live image is not meant for a hard drive install at all. I wish someone would put together a 'Knoppix for Desktop' variant (with updates).

btw, Would love to see your take on Knoppix, Bertel. Maybe a future review?

Lastly... I briefly played around with LXQt while testing Porteus. In fact, I tried all the Porteus variants - so it gave me a chance to get a feel of the different DEs. Porteus loads into RAM and so everything was fairly responsive (not "puppy-like" but close enough). Out of all the DEs I used with Porteus, it was LXQt that felt the snappiest in RAM.

LinuxBBQ is dead.
One page on DistroWatch and Wikipedia.
No Home Page ( dead link )
No User Forums ( dead link )
No Screenshots ( except 2 on DistroWatch )
You can still find downloads on SourceForge, but why bother ?

Thanks, dragonmouth! Jake U is correct - even the domain is gone but his comment led me to sourceforge. I was hoping to find a single (epically:-) large distro with tons of DEs/WMs already tested and built into the login. It would have made a great test-bed/showcase.

I gave Porteus a shot because it's built to run in RAM and because it's slackware-based. I don't have any experience with slackware systems and the combo of RAM/slackware seemed like a good way to experiment.

I "collect" distros. It is hard to keep track of 30 or 40 of them. If I see a new version on DistroWatch, I download it and delete the old one. The last version of BBQ I downloaded was 12/2016. I just assumed the devs were slowly working on the next one. My bad.

Bob H

October 17, 2018 at 4:33 pm

That this article exists, shows how fragmented the Linux ecosystem is on desktops.

Funny thing about it, though, is that regardless of what desktop environment you use the apps will work on it. Even KDE apps works in Gnome though like trying to use Android and Windows systems, they don't work as well as all-Gnome or all-KDE.

Linux is about choice, so there is no "one" Linux to be fragmented. I like to think of it as "diversified" rather than fragmented because I can pretty much do one one Linux system everything I do on another and usually using the same application.

@Bob H:
That is a very narrow minded attitude. Do you also advocate one brand for each product on the market? Toothpaste, bread, car, cigarettes, etc, etc, etc. I'm sure that in your daily life you insist on choice. So, obviously, you are not anti-choice, just anti-Linux.

What you call fragmentation we in the Open Source community call "freedom" while you might be "handcuffed" into using either Windows' desktop or Apple's iOS?....we have the freedom of choosing whatever we want to use as a desktop. You should give the Linux experience a try before making comments about it being fragmented. Have you ever TRIED Linux...or were you too afraid of the choices you'd have? You'd be surprised just how liberating it is to not only be able to choose your desktop environment, but your icons, your mouse pointer, the size and font of your own choosing for the desktop, the taskbar / dock etc. I guess if you are locked in to whatever system you use?...then stay there and be "Comfortably Numb"

Bertel is an RVA-based writer who has covered consumer tech for over five years. With a BA in History and Government from the College of William and Mary, he is as comfortable helping others understand digital rights and policy as he is reviewing apps.